Christmas Ham Recipe

Make the best Christmas Ham with my simple recipe and tips! This delicious ham with a sweet glaze will be the star of your holiday dinner.

If you have leftovers, don’t forget to use them and make my Leftover Ham Casserole or the Ham and Bean Soup.

Baking ham for the holiday dinner could not be easier. If you are like me and like to buy the fully-cooked bone-in spiral cut ham, the only thing we need to worry about is the glaze. The ham is already cooked and sliced, we need to add flavor. I like the combination of orange juice, spices (cinnamon, cloves, ginger and allspice) with dark brown sugar (to keep the ham super juicy). It’s perfect!

Ingredients:

• ham: mine is fully cooked, bone-in, spiral cut
• orange juice
• unsalted butter
• spices: cinnamon, cloves, ginger, allspice
• brown sugar: I recommend dark
• mustard: Dijon or honey

How to bake Christmas ham?

• Start by removing ham from the packaging.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and prepare a large baking dish (an aluminum foil roasted or 13″x9″ baking dish).
• Place ham cut side down into the dish.
• Combine butter, juice and brown sugar in a microwave-safe dish. Heat up in 20-second increments until butter is melted. Then microwave for 15-seconds at a time, until bubbly. Watch it because it can foam out of the cup.
• Pour half of the glaze over ham.
• Cover ham loosely with aluminum foil.
• Bake for 13 minutes per pound.
• Check the ham with a meat thermometer. It should read 140 degrees F.
• Remove from oven and let stand for at least 15 minutes.
• Serve.

How long do you cook ham?

Since the ham is already cooked, all you need to do is heat it up. I recommend baking it for 13 to 14 minutes per pound. You can also broil it for a minute or two to caramelize the glaze.

What to serve with ham?

There are many delicious side dishes that can be served with ham:

• Scalloped Potatoes
• Creamed Corn
• Brown Sugar Roasted Carrots
• Sauteed Kale with Bacon
• Sweet Corn Casserole
• Green Bean Casserole

Storing leftovers:

Any leftovers should be stored in a container with a lid, in the fridge, for up to 4 days. Use in sandwiches or recipes listed below.

How to use leftover ham?

I always end up with some leftover ham. Fortunately, there are many delicious ways to use it! My ham casserole is the easiest and the Black Eyed Peas with Ham are great for your New Year’s Eve celebrations. On a snowy day, I like to make my Ham and Corn Chowder or a Ham and Bean Soup and enjoy a big bowl with homemade biscuits. Don’t forget to leave some for the Baked Ham and Cheese Sliders.

More holiday recipes:

• Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
• Classic Stuffing
• Classic Sweet Potato Casserole

For more recipes like this one, feel free to browse our Holiday Category.

If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment!

5 from 2 votes

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Christmas Ham

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

2 hrs 30 mins

Total Time

2 hrs 40 mins

 

Make the best Christmas Ham with my simple recipe and tips! This delicious ham with a sweet glaze will be the star of your holiday dinner.

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Christmas ham

Servings: 18 servings

Calories: 373 kcal

Author: Anna

Ingredients

• 8 to 9 lbs fully-cooked ham I used spiral-cut
• ½ cup orange juice
• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• 1 cup packed brown sugar I recommend dark
• 1 teaspoon Dijon or honey mustard

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Start by removing ham from the packaging. Note how many pounds your ham weighs. You will need it to figure out the cooking time per pound.

2. Preheat oven to 325° F.

3. Prepare a large baking dish (an aluminum foil roasted or 13″x9″ baking dish) and aluminum foil.
4. Place ham cut side down into the dish.
5. Combine butter, juice and brown sugar in a microwave-safe dish. Heat up in 20-second increments until butter is melted. Then microwave for 15-seconds at a time, until bubbly. Watch it because it can foam out of the cup.
6. Pour half of the glaze over ham.
7. Cover ham loosely with aluminum foil.
8. Bake for 13 minutes per pound.

9. Check the internal temperature of the ham with a meat thermometer. It should read 140° F.

10. Pour more glaze over the ham and broil until sizzling, about 2 minutes. This step is optional. You can simply pour the remaining glaze over the ham before serving.
11. Remove from oven and let stand for at least 15 minutes so the juices can redistribute.
12. Serve.

Recipe Notes

• Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use.
• The information below is an estimate. Always use calorie counter you are familiar with.
• The amount of sodium comes from the ham, and more precisely from the cooking process, not from this recipe. Use unsalted butter.
• One serving of ham is about 1/2 to 3/4 lb per person.

Nutrition Facts

Christmas Ham

Amount Per Serving

Calories 373 Calories from Fat 162

% Daily Value*

Fat 18g28%

Saturated Fat 5g31%

Cholesterol 154mg51%

Sodium 2336mg102%

Potassium 597mg17%

Carbohydrates 13g4%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 12g13%

Protein 38g76%

Vitamin A 93IU2%

Vitamin C 50mg61%

Calcium 24mg2%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.